Good Monday evening. In this edition: Trump expresses hope for Iran deal amid pause in fighting.
Plus, Troy Jackson, Fed, McConnell and Thune.
Iran War
President Trump expressed optimism about diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war amid a lull in fighting following weeks of escalation, but warned that if a deal doesn't materialize, the U.S. would resume its bombing campaign.
After weeks of renewed fighting following the collapse of last month's ceasefire, the U.S. has paused its bombing campaign for three consecutive nights. Iran has also halted attacks on ships in the strait and on American bases in the region, giving mediators hope for a diplomatic solution.
"I think there's a good chance something could happen," President Trump said. "And if it does, good. And if it doesn't, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago."
Esmail Baghaei, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said "mediators may convey messages to us from the American side" but that there were no direct negotiations.
He also said the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and that Tehran was holding talks with Oman to "develop mechanisms to ensure safe navigation" through the oil-critical waterway.
President Trump told reporters he has a "lot of patience" when it comes to reaching a deal with Iran.
Scattered attacks by armed groups in the region underscore how tenuous the situation remains.
Saudi Arabia said it shot down drones fired by Iran-backed militias in Iraq targeting its petroleum facilities, and Jordan said it shot down two drones without specifying where they originated.
The Houthis in Yemen, another Iran-backed militia that has been trying to disrupt Saudi oil shipments in the Red Sea, also claimed responsibility for an attack on Saudi oil facilities.
President Trump appeared to downplay the Houthi attacks but indicated the U.S. might eventually have to deal with the group.
"We're not involved with that," he said. "But if they're a problem, we'll probably have to get involved."
The president also dismissed concerns that the five-month war had depleted U.S. stockpiles.
"We have a lot of ammunition,"he said. "We have a lot of the mid-level stuff too, more than we could ever use, no matter what. But we have a lot. I'd like to have more, to be honest, but so much was given to Ukraine by Biden."
Maine DemocratsselectedTroy Jackson, a progressive former state legislator, as the new Democratic nominee in the state's U.S. Senate race, replacing Graham Platner, who dropped out of the contest amid sexual misconduct allegations. "Today, we turn the page," Mr. Jackson told delegates in Bangor on Saturday. "Today, this becomes a general election campaign. And today, we begin the work of defeating Susan Collins in November." Mr. Jackson, a fifth-generation logger and former state Senate president, secured the nomination with 566 of 571 delegate votes at an ad hoc party convention the Maine Democratic Party put together in the 17 days following Mr. Platner's withdrawal from the race. He will face Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in November as she seeks a fifth term. The battleground race is viewed by both national parties as critical to their chances of controlling the Senate.
President Trumpcalled for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates at its policy meeting this week while praising new central bank chief Kevin Warsh. "Kevin's fantastic, but he's got a board, and the board members are very political, I would say," he told reporters on Air Force One. "He wants to do the right thing. I know what he wants to do. But you need the consent of some people that have, perhaps, bad intentions." Mr. Warsh pledged to make tackling years of sticky inflation his top priority after succeeding Jerome Powell, whom President Trump frequently bashed over interest rates. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which sets interest rates, is set to announce its latest policy decision Wednesday. Markets expect the central bank to hold rates steady at 3.5%–3.75%, though they are pricing in roughly a one-third chance policymakers will raise rates by a quarter percentage point, according to the CME FedWatch Tool.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is not yet ready to return to in-person work at the Capitol following his June 14 hospitalization, his office said in a statement including another photo of him and his wife, former Secretary Elaine Chao, in a rehabilitation facility. The 84-year-old senator, who suffered a fall and was "briefly unconscious," did not provide a timeline for his return but said he would not attend this weekend's Fancy Farm, an annual political picnic in Kentucky that he has attended for more than four decades. "Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls," the Office of the Attending Physician said in an accompanying statement. "His bout with childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility. He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office."
President Trumpsaid he has a "good relationship" with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) despite repeatedly hammering him over the upper chamber's inability to pass the SAVE America Act, the GOP elections bill that would require ID and proof of citizenship to vote and sharply curtail mail-in voting. "I have a good relationship with John Thune, he's just got to get his job done," he told reporters. "You got to get the SAVE America Act. Or better than that would be the filibuster. If you terminate the filibuster, everything happens. If you don't terminate the filibuster, only bad things will happen." Asked whether he wanted Sen. Thune replaced as Republican leader, the president said, "I haven't even thought of it." Earlier in the day, President Trump posted on Truth Social calling on Sen. Thune to cancel the chamber's upcoming summer recess and keep pushing the SAVE Act. Sen. Thune has repeatedly conveyed to the president that the bill does not have enough votes to pass in the upper chamber, nor does he have the votes to eliminate the filibuster and pass it on a party-line basis.
For your radar…
A memorial service will be held for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, followed by a funeral service at Washington National Cathedral. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN at 9:30am ET and 2pm ET, respectively.
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